All Bark Some Bite?
by MetalMunk
Summary: Sans bit off more than he could chew when he took in a stray off the street, little did he know his new pet would be harboring a very big secret and that she was alone, her family killed off and her Soul in tatters she'll have to rely on trust and the goodwill of two brothers to piece her back together as she begins to unravel exactly where she came from...
1. Trash Day

They had only been on the Surface for a few months when Sans noticed something was going through their trash.

Paps always put it out to the curb and Sans would grab it after work and drag it back up to the side of their house, so he was always the one that found rubbish littered around the base of it.

It couldn't be the truck's fault right? Humans were picky with how things went and he didn't notice their neighbors having the same problem. Is it a hate crime? Are their neighbors digging through their trash in hopes of finding something to pin against them?

Sans decided to get to the bottom of this odd mystery, after all he has to pick up the rubbish left behind and bringing the bin up to the house was already enough work as it is.

So when trash day came around again and Paps took the bin to the curb before heading to his job for the day Sans settled in next to the front window to wait.

It didn't take long for him to spot the culprit.

A mangy dog makes its way down the sidewalk, nosing at the neighbor's bins before moving closer to theirs, frowning he scratches his skull as he watches the gray furred canine carefully stand on its hind legs and nudge the lid open.

The brothers always filled the bin up to the top, so the dog is able to grasp the top bag and drag it out slowly, it obviously knows what it's doing because the bin hasn't fallen over.

Managing to get half of the bag out it rips through the plastic and steps back as a bunch of trash falls free thanks to gravity, nosing aside empty ketchup bottles it laps at the inside of old burger bags from Grillby's until it finds a half-eaten burger in one and hungrily gulps it down before moving onto quite a bit of Paps spaghetti.

Hey after having spaghetti constantly you'd get tired of it too, but it seems the dog is a fan and quickly devours it before digging around a bit more.

Normally he'd be pissed, sure he's sorta a dog loving skeleton but this mutt is making a mess! However, he can see it's ribs from here, and as he watches the dog push the bag back into the bin and nudge the lid closed he begins to hatch a plan.

* * *

He doesn't tell Paps, his brother isn't too fond of canines since the dogs underground once chewed on his leg bone, ever since then he's had a fear of them.

Sans doesn't really need to tell Paps since all he's doing is feeding the dog…right?

Another week passes and he offers to take the bin out this time, Paps shoots him a curious expression, "BROTHER ARE YOU ILL?"

"nah just figured we could switch things up a bit," he says with a lazy shrug, "sides you gotta get to work, you got an earlier shift today,"

Papyrus hums in thought, "YOU ARE RIGHT, PROCEED AND I WILL PICK IT UP LATER," He says before climbing into his car and backing out of their driveway, he waves goodbye before disappearing down the street.

Sans drags the bin to the curb and then heads back inside to grab the bag of Grillby's he had saved from lunch, stepping back out onto the front porch he settles on the steps and fishes a cigarette from his jacket pocket, the great thing about not having lungs is he doesn't have to worry about lung cancer.

Digging his lighter out he pinches the cigarette between his sharp teeth and lights it, taking a drag before reaching into the bag and fishing a burger out, unwrapping it he sets it down on the pavement in front of him, letting it rest on the plastic incase the dog doesn't eat it.

Don't want to waste food after all.

He waits, taking slow drags and letting the smoke ease from his eye sockets and nostrils, the sensation of the smoke is like a whisper of wind as it moves through his skull, he's so relaxed he nearly misses the dog.

Sans remains relaxed, eye sockets half open as the canine moves forward fearlessly, it's bushy tail wagging as it approaches and quickly grabs the burger, scarfing it down before licking the plastic wrap.

Once it's done it lifts its head and peers at him, he's stunned to find one green eye and one blue eye locking on him.

"still hungry?" he asks flicking his cigarette away as he reaches in for another burger, unwrapping it he decides to see how far the canine would go for food, he keeps it in his hand and slowly extends it out, watching as the dog steps forward to take a bite, avoiding his phalanges as it eats around his hand, he offers the last of the burger to it before cautiously reaching out to rest his palm against its head.

His hand swamps the canine's skull and his fingers curl, scratching carefully behind it's ears, watching in silent joy as the dog's tail wags harder and it steps even closer, resting its head gently atop his knee.

"you're pretty friendly….guess a good burger goes a long way huh pooch?" he chuckles, continuing to scratch the dog's head.

It's been awhile since he's felt this sense of…accomplishment, a sense of purpose? Yeah…guess caring for another creature can do that to ya.

"come on, Paps can't be too mad, with a face like yours he'll be putty in your paws," he chuckles, standing and grabbing the bag, glancing at the dog to see if it follows, sure enough it climbs up the stairs, sticking close to his legs as he opens the door and lets it dart inside.

Paps can't be too mad, after all, Sans found someone who loves his spaghetti.


	2. Beginning of a Friendship

The dog is a girl.

Sans figured it out when he got her in a bath and began to try and scrub the layer of filth from her fur, it took a hell of a lot longer than he thought and he was exhausted afterwards, but he was over joyed none the less when he set her back onto the bathroom floor and quickly threw a towel over her.

He rubs the soft fabric over her fur and when he draws it back he chuckles at the ball of fluff that greets him, she sneezes and narrows her eyes, seeming displeased about the bath she turns and races out of the bathroom.

Shaking his head Sans goes about draining the tub and drying off whatever surface got wet during the ordeal, by the time he's finished he wants nothing more than to take a nice long nap on the couch.

Sighing heavily he drags himself out of the bathroom and makes a beeline for the couch, no dog in sight.

He knew cats were moody but he didn't know dogs could be too.

Shrugging he settles onto the cushions and lets sleep drag him under.

* * *

How humiliating!

She was thankful for the food but the bath was a bit much, sure he doesn't know but still! He touched her…everywhere.

Sure he stayed away from her more private regions but she can still feel where his boney fingers moved along her chest and stomach, making her fur stand on end.

It wasn't unpleasant…but she can feel the shame burning hot beneath her fur.

If he ever was to find out….oh lord help her, she'd never be able to face the skeleton again.

Speaking of the skeletal devil, she can hear him snoring from her hiding place in the kitchen, pealing herself off the cool tiles she pads into the living room to find him passed out on the couch.

He takes up nearly all of it…both of the skeleton monsters are tall, but this one is wider than his brother and slightly shorter, but he still dwarfs her and as she approaches the couch she can't help but stare at his smiling mouth full of sharp teeth.

When she first came across them she was insanely curious by their smell, they didn't smell overwhelming like humans, didn't stink as bad as humans, so she decided to see if she could find anything to eat from them.

Boy she hit the jackpot, they always filled their bins up to the top and she usually got a burger or two out of it, sure it wasn't enough to keep her satisfied but she was able to hunt sometimes….though it was harder without her pack and she'd only get a rabbit or two if she was lucky.

Shaking the thoughts of her family from her mind she carefully climbs onto the couch and curls up on the free cushion, maybe they'd let her stay? At least until she's stronger, then she can finally get unstuck and leave.

But until then she'll have to be content to stay in this form, if only for a little while longer, the burgers he fed her had some magical quality to them and with each one she ate she could feel her Soul growing stronger, patching itself up from the ordeal.

She still has a long way to go, Shifting takes a lot out of her and even if she's able to Shift back she'll be extremely weak afterwards, prone for attacks…a lone wolf has a slim chance, an exhausted, weak lone wolf is free meat.

She'll take her chances hanging around these brothers, so far Sans has been kinder than any human she's encountered so that's a start, the only one she's concerned about is Papyrus.

He's loud, she knows that from how many times he's woke her; she had made her temporary home under a neighbor's porch, and would wake to him yelling about how great he is and calling Sans 'lazy bones', though she admits the nickname always got a smile out of her.

Feeling the pull of sleep she slowly closes her eyes and allows herself to drift off.

-The sound of the front door banging open wakes her.

She estimates she might've gotten a few hours of sleep, of course she can always nap more later, for now she's too busy peering over Sans' sleeping form trying to find out who had invaded.

A fish lady…a very scary looking fish lady….and there's a kid…..and a dinosaur….a very small dinosaur.

"Yo punk!" The blue monster shouts, flashing a wide sharp toothed smile as she sets the kid aside before making a beeline for Sans.

Crap, crap….who is this woman? A friend? An enemy? She's loud and scary like an enemy and Sans is still sleeping….she lunges forth, lips pulled back and teeth showing as she shields the sleeping skeleton with her body, eyes locked on the now stunned woman.

"Whoa! Didn't know you guys got a mutt, does Papyrus know?" A familiar skeletal hand comes to rest atop her head, rubbing away the angry lines that had formed between her eyes, the snarl on her lips falls away and she turns to find that Sans is awake…..was he faking it?

"not yet, I just found her," Sans explains, "you guys are a bit early for the sleepover,"

The fish lady deadpans, "Sans it's nearly seven in the evening….."

"oops,"

"S-Strange she doesn't look like any dog breeds I've read up on…." The woman dinosaur shuffles closer, reeking of fear, but the scent fades fast as she approaches and offers her small clawed hand for her to sniff.

She smells like chemicals, books…and ramen? It's a weird combination….but it's a lot better than the scent of fear and she nudges her hand in greeting.

"I wasn't sure what is she, but you're welcome to try and figure it out Alphys…did you bring movies Undyne?"

"Of course I brought them! I love Paps but I think we've all watched enough Mettaton movies to last us a lifetime,"

The kid who had been silent up until this point moves forward to lightly pet her head, "What's her name?"

"huh?"

"Your dog," The child smiles and lightly cups her face in her hands, squeezing gently as they giggle, their brown almond shaped eyes are bright and they reach up to brush some of their dark hair from their eyes.

"oh didn't think of that," Sans admits, sitting up to adjust himself on the couch, making room for the child to climb up between him and herself, their small hands move along her neck and over her shoulders, smoothing down her fur.

"I can help," they offer, giggling again when Sans reaches over to ruffle their hair.

"sure kiddo go ahead,"

Oh gosh please don't be a stupid name….

The child narrows their eyes in thought, keeping a hand on her back she feels a warmth seeping into her….going just beneath her skin and fur, reaching out towards her Soul…..

"Storm,"

"Storm? Aw why not a cool name like Killer? I mean did you see her teeth?! She needs a badass name,"

"O-Or a smart name…maybe something from an anime even….?"

"why Storm kiddo?"

"Her fur looks like storm clouds," Frisk answers, suddenly wrapping her arms around her, the child tucks their face in close beside hers as they suddenly whisper, "I'll keep your secret Ana….I promise,"

Her hackles raise in alarm as the child pulls away and smiles brightly, "Her name should be Storm,"

"Storm it is," Sans chuckles, scratching at his stomach lazily.

Frisk smiles and climbs off the couch, hurrying off to the kitchen, frowning she gets up and follows swiftly, finding the child climbing onto the countertop opening a cabinet filled with snacks.

" _You know my name,"_

The child jumps and turns slightly, a pack of pop tarts in hand they blink and glance back towards the living room before looking back to her, "You talk…" They whisper in awe.

" _Barely…hard to focus…..on voice. Soul weak,"_ Her voice is rough, primal sounding, the beginning of her words start off as growls.

"Are you a monster like them? Were you hidden somewhere in the Underground?" Frisk climbs down, but not after grabbing another silver package of pop tarts.

" _No…..werewolf…different monster….."_

"A Surface monster…like all those urban stories…you can transform?!"

" _Shhhh…..too weak…Soul damaged…."_

"How?"

She falls silent, growling gently in her throat as she shakes her head no, frowning Frisk opens one of the packages and passes her the pop tarts that were inside.

"I promised I'll keep your secret….but I want to help…" Frisk scratches gently at her head, fingers working around her ears.

" _More magic food,"_ She answers, licking crumbs from her muzzle she follows Frisk back to the living room, where she joins the child on the floor by a Monopoly board Undyne and Alphys had set up, the two of them already picked their pieces.

Sans was a sleep again.

"Alright let's get this sleepover started!" Undyne cheers.

Laying her head on her paws she settles in to watch the game unfold, hoping Frisk would keep to their word…she just met the child, but she can tell they take promises very seriously.


	3. Last Wolf?

_**Dream**_

* * *

Cold bitterness fills her lungs as her head swings around, trying to see through the clouded night, a thick fog had settled in over her town and she woke to find everything eerily silent.

When she went to check on her family she found them all gone, so now here she is, standing in the middle of town, alone.

Her breathing quickens as she strains to hear someone…hear anything that could prove to her that she wasn't the last left.

But the only sound to greet her is the faint caress of a breeze as it trickles forth from the forest that she knew like the back of her hand…but as she looks through the drab night she realizes that the forest she once found comforting is no longer as such.

As she watches the winding branches she spots empty white eyes , blank as a full moon peering back, a new sound reaches her ears now.

Gurgling and wet, sloppy footsteps reach her ears as the expressionless being steps forth.

A wolf…..oozing inky liquid from its slack mouth, its jaw is broken, hanging open to let the dark slime spew forth as its growls bubble wetly in its throat.

Terror washes through her and she turns swiftly, fleeing through town.

No…this can't be….they were guardians of the Void….they couldn't get the Sickness…right?!

Her pace quickens as she hears the echo of many gurgling, struggling wolves, all of them seeming to ooze forth from the grasps of the pitch black forest, they move like one being, their limbs look stiff as they struggle to surge forth.

She glances back to see that not only were they gaining on her, but there's something…..someone, perched on the back of the alpha….his face is blank, a white mask with only two black holes for his eyes and he holds something in his hand, a staff of some sort.

He points it towards her and the pack rushes forth with inhuman speed, she panics and bolts into the grasp of the forest, she can feel their cold breaths breathing down her neck.

She Shifts mid run, ignoring her clothes as they're torn to pieces, she hits the earth on all fours and she races forth, gaining more ground.

However she doesn't get far, a wolf that's nearly consumed by the Void-matter materializes forth from the shadows and she barrels into it.

Sharp black teeth clamp swiftly onto her side, piercing through the soft flesh of her belly and drawing forth a gush of blood and pain, she cries out in agony and kicks her attacker swiftly in the chest.

The impact is enough to rip herself free and she scrambles back to her paws, bolting off to the right now as she tries in vain to keep moving through the deep ache in her gut.

Her stamina and will to keep moving is draining fast, she looks to her wound and feels a new dread fill her, numbing her to her Soul.

Black inky darkness sprouts from her wound, eating away at her flesh and sapping all will to live from her.

Stumbling she collapses without a sound, her family, her pack, all of them have been consumed by the Void…that man, or whatever, somehow got his hands on something that can call the inky darkness forth to consume living creatures.

She doesn't put much thought into this…she's dying anyways…

Eyelids heavy she lets the darkness pull at her eyelids, but before she can close them completely she feels something touch her.

A Soul…it reaches forth and brushes hers, combing away the clinging tendrils of black from her, strength begins to seep back into her and a weird voice…..she can't understand it…..it sounds broken, but as her savior continues to speak its strange words she feels a sense of understanding fill her.

 _Sons….find, warn…..strong, live._

This thing says she's strong…find it's children? How is she supposed to know what it's kids look like if she can't even see it?!

The Void fades from her body and she staggers to her paws, the wound is still bleeding but she's no longer infected and so she takes off again, pushing herself to her limit.

Her family is gone….she needs to live…..to find a way to send the Void back…..before it's too late.

* * *

A hand touches her shoulder and she nearly jerks away from the touch, memories surge forth and she remembers where she is, how she got here, and she feels a sorrow so deep that she feels her Soul give an aching throb.

"Storm?" Frisk's gentle voice tries to soothe her, their small hand working along her back, smoothing back her hackles which had risen in her sleep, sensing danger that was no longer there.

As her eyes adjust to the murky darkness she realizes that its very late, the game is over and almost everyone is a sleep, a single light casts its pale beams out from the kitchen, giving the child next to her security.

" _Bad dream, sorry I woke you,"_ Her voice is stronger despite the pain in her chest and she slowly sits up, finding the child already sitting, their troubled almond shaped eyes trained on her.

Frisk speaks up again, voice a soft whisper, "Want to talk about it?"

She glances around the room, everyone is a sleep on makeshift beds, Undyne and Alphys share a blow-up mattress…..a taller, thinner skeleton takes up another, Papyrus, she realizes as her gaze finds Sans passed out on the couch as usual.

" _My pack….was taken over by the Void…..a separate world….an empty one,"_ She says softly, " _Someone got their hands on an artifact made by monsters….it opens a way into the Void, he got my pack,"_

Ana can feel the tears in her throat but she fights the urge to let them fall, and instead releases a shuddering breath.

"Oh…" Frisk's hand brushes along her back, their gaze distant and thoughtful, "Sans might know about it, him and Alphys are into science and stuff,"

" _No, you can't tell them,"_

"I won't tell them your secret, I'll just mention I saw it in a dream or something," Frisk suggests, smiling at her before they yawn widely, covering their mouth with a hand.

" _You should sleep, I'm sorry for waking you,"_ She gently nudges the child's shoulder, " _Go back to bed,"_

Frisk rubs at their eyes tiredly, keeping their voice a whisper, "Are you going to be ok?"

" _I'll be fine,"_ She says, smiling warmly as Frisk lies back and settles into bed, it doesn't take long for their breathing to even out and for the child to drift off to sleep once more.

Ana stays a little bit longer, checking to make sure they don't wake before carefully moving through the room, watching her step she makes her way into the kitchen and moves towards the back door, claws lightly clicking against the tile.

Standing on her hind legs she noses at the knob until it comes unlocked and she grasps the handle in her maw, carefully turning it until the door opens with a soft click, she doesn't open it very wide, just big enough to allow her body to slip through.

The brisk night air greets her, and with it scents and sounds of the outside world become overwhelming, the sound of distance cars and their motors goes from a very faint, distance hum, to a droning sound that lightly vibrates the earth beneath her paws.

The smells of heated homes and dinners that have long since ended reach her nose, the scents easing her as she steps off the porch and into the yard, she'll come back, after all she doesn't have anywhere else to go….

She doesn't go far, lingering in the yard she looks up to the sky, gaze drinking in the billions of starts overhead and the very faint outline of a crescent moon overhead, her grandparents would tell her stories as she was growing of how the wolves were the children of the night sky…how they should always feel safe beneath its presence.

But right now….she feels alone.


	4. Moonlight

She senses it before she sees it.

It's cold, otherworldly, hungry.

It's Soul bounces rapidly between here and the Void, like it's trapped between them, she senses the way it suddenly feels there and then gone…almost like it's dying and being reborn constantly.

The rabbit is a shaking mess, hollow eyes peer at nothing as it hops forth from the thicket of trees lining the back of the neighborhood. Its missing half an ear and where blood would've pooled there's that familiar black tar….

Her gut clenches and she moves forward without a thought, watching as the inhuman creature hops across the grass towards a neighboring house where she can see a dog door in the back door.

But before the rabbit can squeeze inside she catches it in her teeth, pulse racing rapidly in her ears.

Its body is cold to the touch and she can feel the murky blackness seeping between the cracks of her teeth as they sink into the soft flesh of the rabbit.

Focusing inward she pulls on a strand of her Soul, forging it into a solid magical energy as it surges up her throat and into her mouth where it glows an eerie bright white against the blackness.

As soon as the bright mass touches the rabbit it lets out an unearthly screech as the Void-matter frizzles and dries up into nothing under the sudden onslaught of magic energy pouring forth from her Soul.

The body in her mouth goes limp and the wet, black coldness disappears instantly, the rabbit lays between her teeth like a puppet emptied of its stuffing.

Panting hard through her nose she carries it's carcass back towards the tree line where she finds a soft patch of earth between the roots a tree, digging a quick grave she hurriedly buries the ruined body.

Covering it with earth she makes sure nothing can smell the remains before turning back to the yard, the trail it left is still strong and she follows it from the neatly groomed grass to the trees again, she doesn't have to travel far.

Finding the source almost instantly she feels her gut churn and the tears she held at bay from earlier return anew as she stares at the wolf's body near her paws.

She knows exactly who it is….the Void-matter had left his body and moved onto a more suitable body, a bunny the wolf must've caught as a last failed attempt to survive it's injuries.

The wolf's back leg is severely broken and she can see it's ribs clearly, it's once blank-white eyes are now brown and glazed over, a familiar scar runs horizontal across it's muzzle and her heart sinks deeper into her stomach as a sob works forth from her throat.

He was a hunter in her pack, a younger male who had come of age the previous year and had the proving of a successful hunter and tracker.

She had spoken with him on many hunts, his wolf name was Arrow, he preferred it over his given birth name, each wolf in a pack has their birth name and a wolf name that their parents present to them with their first successful Shift.

Bowing her head low she lets out a mournful cry, a sound between a broken howl and a human sob it racks through her as her body shakes with grief, hot tears cascade steadily down her muzzle to hit the earth.

Lifting her head she tips her skull back and releases a long mournful howl, one that would've been echoed by her pack…..if they were here…..

Fighting back more howls she bows her head over his, opening her mouth she calls forth her magic again, feeling the rush of the white energy as it pools in her mouth and seeps like thick jelly from between her teeth to ooze out over his face.

It moves over his body like a thick blanket of moonlight, glittering under the actual moon high above she steps back as her magic twinkles with thousands of rainbows, the white blanket covers his prone body as it shrinks before her eyes.

Within seconds he's gone…and the place where his body once lay sprouts small budding flowers, the magic energy breaks into fractured pieces and take to the sky, disappearing from view as it heads for the heavens.

The sour scent of the Void still lingers in the air and her lips curl in distaste as she continues to follow the lingering trail, her Soul is heavy with grief and anger…she won't rest until she sends all that damned black magic back to where it came from.

* * *

Storm was gone when he woke.

Sans blinks the last bit of sleep from his eye sockets as he sits up completely, bright pupils sweeping across the living room in search of the canine, Frisk and Alphys are gone too…

He stands and carefully moves past his sleeping brother to step into the kitchen, the faint morning light appears gray through the window above the sink, but the open back door is what catches his attention.

The skeleton moves towards it and pauses in the doorway as the muffled sound of sniffling reaches his…er skull, "what's wrong?" He moves forward to inspect the kid nestled close to Alphys' side.

Frisk draws their head away from the doctor's side to wipe at their watering eyes, they draw in a shaky breath, seeming to try and reign in their tears in front of the skeleton as Alphys gently rubs their back, "…..I let Storm out…..and she hasn't come back yet,"

Sans looks out towards the backyard in thought, scratching at his skull before resting his hand atop Frisk's head, "hey it's ok, dogs wander off all the time, she probably chased after a squirrel," he assures them.

She's a stray, so he shouldn't be surprised if she wanders off…but he feels something odd in his nonexistent gut, "how long has she been gone for?"

"F-few hours," Frisk answers, calming their sniffling to look up at him, a hopeful gleam to their slightly swollen eyes.

He sighs and looks to Alphys who shrugs, seeming to sense what the two of them had planned, "I-I'll be here with the others until they wake up, i-if she comes back we'll call you,"

Sans nods and looks towards the sparse woods, "alright kiddo let's go," he says, not surprised to see Frisk already has their shoes one as they step down from the back porch to move onto the grass, they wait for Sans to join them before grabbing his hand and tugging him towards the trees.

For a while they walk in silence, Frisk leading the way as the sky grows lighter overhead, the sun rising steadily above the horizon.

"if we can't find her it's not your fault kiddo, these things happen,"

"She would've come back by now…..I know it," Frisk says, determined as they continue to trek on, the last bit of woods thins out into a vast field, markers are setup through it for future homes to be built in the area but other than that it's eerie, Sans can't even hear the birds anymore.

He slowly draws Frisk back, tucking the child close to his side as his pupils disappear, a single blue-yellow flame taking root in his left eye socket as a tense aura settles over them.

"….Sans?" Frisk whispers, their brown eyes locked on something crouched in the field, it's back heaving with labored breaths.

"stay here," Sans mutters, giving the child's shoulder a squeeze as he moves teleports closer to the form, the intense aura is suddenly stifling and he feels his magic crackle dangerously at the overwhelming sensation.

The thing…..whatever it is, is still hidden by the overgrown grass and he cautiously steps forward the last few steps to touch the creature's back.

He recoils quickly as it rolls over to face him.


	5. Disappearing Act

The deer thrashes its head, antlers catching the very edge of his sleeve as he leans back quickly, shielding Frisk with his body as a black blood like substance bubbles forth from the animal's muzzle.

It's pupils are blown wide as it struggles to stand, a wound to its side oozes the same dark substance and a foul almost burnt smell assaults Sans' senses making his instincts scream _bad_.

"W-what's wrong with it?" Frisk asks softly, clutching at Sans' hoody as they peek around him to watch the deer settle again, the black ooze steadily escaping it's body, the stench heavy in the air.

"not sure kiddo…..but I'm taking you back home," He turns to pick up the child with ease, Frisk's wide almond eyes remained locked on the buck, "The black stuff is moving," They say quietly, their tone a mixture of awe and disgust.

Sans risks a glance back to see that the black tar was pooling around the deer's body, seeming to gather itself up as a bit of it raises up, almost like a head, as the body slowly goes limp.

He doesn't wait around to see what'll happen next, he teleports them both back home in the blink of an eye, startling Alphys and drawing a sleepy Undyne's attention away from the mug of coffee she was nursing.

"GOOD MORNING BROTHER!" Papyrus greets, donning his 'Kiss the Papyrus' apron he pauses in his cooking and his expression becomes troubled, "DID YOU NOT FIND YOUR DOG?"

Frisk escapes Sans loose hold to bolt over to Papyrus' side, "There's a sick deer in a field,"

"SICK DEER?"

"Alphys," Sans gestures for the small lizard to come over to his side, she slowly approaches, fidgeting she adjusts her round glasses as she looks up at him with nothing but curiosity .

"come on,"

He teleports the both of them to the field, making sure to keep a good distance from where he had discovered the deer, Alphys spots it and moves forward almost immediately, "careful," he warns, holding out an arm to slow her down.

Alphys nods and moves forward with more caution, the deer's body is completely limp, the black ooze….is gone.

"Did Storm do this?" Alphys kneels by the body, inspecting the wound Sans had glanced at when he first saw it, now he approaches and kneels down to eye it closer.

The wounds it sustained were deeper than he thought, a decent sized bite to its front shoulder and deep gashes to its soft stomach had once oozed the black matter, now they leak a steady flow of blood.

"I-I've seen documentaries…." Alphys touches the bite mark, face slightly scrunched up in thought as Sans straightens up, searching the tall grass for any movement, the black mass couldn't have just vanished…right?

"W-Wolves hunt deer, usually in packs, but there marks a-are similar to a wolf's," Alphys moves the deer's head slightly, exposing another bite mark on its throat, "Y-you're sure Storm is a d-dog?"

"she's tame enough to be one," Sans frowns as he looks to the lizard scientist as she stays kneeled by the deer, her face turned up towards him, "you're saying she might be a wolf?"

"I-It could be a possibility…." Alphys mumbles, turning away with a frown, "So you wanted me to see a dead d-deer?"

"no…..it had some weird black substance that was in it….it was like tar almost, but a lot of it was escaping the deer, and it started to _move_ like it was looking at us," If Sans had hair he's sure it'd be standing on end at the memory.

"H-huh…did it e-escape?"

"it looked slow…I doubt it could've gotten far…"

"S-Should we comb the area?"

"yeah,"

* * *

The two of them returned home about an hour later, dragging their feet as they take a seat at the kitchen table to dig into their cold breakfast.

They had no luck in finding whatever that dark mess was.

"Did you see the deer?" Frisk is still seated at the table, a pile of papers and multiple crayons are sprawled out before them on the table, they look up from their current drawing to look between Alphys and Sans curiously.

"we saw it, but whatever was attached to it fled," Sans answers, idly poking at his food.

Alphys quietly eats, having been quiet since they failed to find the weird creature/substance, her thinking face is on.

"And Storm?"

Sans scratches at his jaw, frowning slightly, "She'll turn up,"

Frisk drops their crayon, placing their hands on the table as they lean forward slightly, "What if she doesn't? People could've taken her! Or she could be hurt!" They look distraught, cheeks pinched with emotion as they hold Sans' gaze.

"she'll be ok kid, she's been out there on her own for a while, I'm sure she's used to it and can find her way back," he smiles slightly, "if she doesn't show up by lunch then we'll go out and look again, ok?"

Frisk slowly leans back in their chair, picking up their discarded crayon as they nod, "Ok…..promise?"

"promise,"

* * *

She didn't come back by lunch.

Frisk took it upon themselves to search up local shelters in the areas and call them, giving a description of Storm each time, and with each call their face became more and more solemn.

"None of the shelters picked her up…." They say, setting the phone down as look up.

"we'll search the neighborhood…." Sans offers, not exactly sure what else to do, he's never had a missing pet before…

"Papyrus can search a few neighborhoods over in his car," Undyne offers, smiling widely, "That way we can cover more ground faster,"

"I WILL HELP FIND HER, SINCE SHE HASN'T TRIED TO EAT MY LEG YET!" Papyrus declares with a nod, Frisk's solemn expression slowly easing some as they smile.

"W-We can ask the neighbors if they've s-seen her," Alphys says, flushing slightly as everyone looks to her, "Good idea hun!" Undyne praises, giving the smaller monster a side hug.

"alright, everyone got their phones?" He gets four nods in response, "let's get going," He looks to Frisk with an easy smile.

Everyone splits up, with Sans and Frisk taking the sidewalk to comb the neighborhood while Alphys and Undyne stop at each door to ask if anyone has spotted Storm in the last few hours.

Papyrus disappears down a neighboring road and begins his search there, music only slightly blaring as he drives along.

"Do you think she's ok?" Frisk asks after a few minutes, looking up at Sans with a troubled expression.

"she's tough, I'm sure she's fine, and if she's not we'll find her," He assures them, ruffling their hair, making them giggle and duck their head to avoid him with a smile tugging at their lips.

"Yeah…." Frisk looks away, the smile disappearing almost as quickly as it appeared.

Sans sighs softly, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket, eyes sweeping across the expanses of houses and neatly trimmed lawns.

The thought of that black ooze…..whatever it was….and the fact that Storm is out there alone nags at his brain, what if that stuff got ahold of her? Would she get sick, become mindless and get hurt?

These thoughts keep him occupied as they continue to walk on in silence, they'll find her, hopefully.


	6. Teeth and Blood

***WARNING BLOOD***

Every step is met with pain, one that throbs through her shoulder and into the bone beneath, leaving feeling winded and at a loss.

The infected buck had left his mark, having caught her left leg with his antlers, leaving a deep angry wound that comes with a limp and rivulets of blood, but despite this she treks onward.

When she lost the deer its eyes were still clear and alert, meaning the Void had yet to claim it completely, which is probably why she left her guard down like she did, forgetting that the buck would fight teeth and hoof to preserve itself.

Instincts are a strong force to fight.

She lost it after she became wounded, but the stale stench accompanied by an almost sour-burnt scent keeps her moving, following the invisible trail as she leaves her own in her wake, painting sprigs of grass and decaying leaves with ruby.

She can't afford to heal herself, not when her Soul is still recovering and she needs her supply of magic to deal with the Void, her physical body will just have to suffer a little while longer, if even the wound scars.

With head held low and mouth slightly parted to breathe past the lingering snippets of pain she gets a face full of the sour stink, making her lips curl in distaste, rising herself up just in time to catch a glimpse of her attacker before her whole injured side cries out in agony.

She's tossed like a ragdoll into the sturdy trunk of a tree, and new pain ripples through her as she feels a sickening _snap_ under layers of fat and muscle, her cry of pain is cut off as she gags on air, body dragged down by gravity to crumple in a tattered heap of bone and fur amongst the roots of the tree.

The farm pig wobbles, snorting as its milky, colorless eyes lock on her, foaming black leaks from its mouth to form bubbles amongst the froth, the sight makes her stomach churn as she struggles to stand.

Having been so focused on her pain and hurting down the source of the scent she failed to realize that she had been approaching farm lands…she hopes this is the only animal affected.

Gritting teeth against the burning pain she lunges forward and her teeth find their mark, sinking into the soft flesh of the pig's face she drags it down with ease, thankful the pig is simply a farm raised animal and not wild….it's softer and meeker, not used to fighting back.

It still struggles however, thrashing limbs and sharp hooves narrowly miss her multiple times as she feels the Void leak into her maw, staining white teeth black as she struggles to keep her hold.

A hoof catches her suddenly in the soft flesh of her throat, the weight behind it causes her to gag and gulp greedily for the air she lost, with it she swallows a mouthful of ooze and it slides like cold liquid glass down her throat.

She releases the pig in alarm, hacking and coughing as she tries to force her body to rid itself of the mass it swallowed but she doesn't get the chance as the pig regains its footing and rams her again, its head connects with the open wound to her leg and she snarls as the pain overwhelms her exhausted mind.

Its intense and she loses herself as the primal fear and urge to protect herself takes hold, mind foggy as she focuses on the pig and makes a mad scramble towards it, teeth finding their way easily around it's exposed throat.

A surge of magic works through her, bright and hot it burns the flesh and cooks the Void, it fries and sizzles out of existence as fresh blood floods her mouth, coating her tongue with its sickly sweetness as she loses the last bit of control.

Her pulse roars in her ears as she strangles the last bit of life from the pig in her grasp, she has to kill, to maim, to devour.

Releasing its throat she moves to do just that, her aching body requiring food to sustain it she feasts on her kill hungrily, unaware of the eyes on her.

It happens so fast she barely reacts.

A bang.

Crimson.

Hot wetness gathers in a pool, the new wound weeping crimson to stain her fur black, her head turns slowly, pupils swallowed by the colors of her irises, stark blue and green stare blankly at the farmer as he stares in shock at the wolf before him.

The bullet wound should've killed her instantly.

Her muzzle pulls back to expose her stained teeth as more blood trickles past her eyes to curl and drip onto the forest floor, the stark mark between her eyes continues to bleed as she vanishes in a blur.

He fumbles with his weapon but she's on him in an instant, jaws wrapped around the gun the metal screeches and cracks, breaking like a twig between her teeth as energy crackles over her body in white hot lightning, she kicks the man to his back, dropping his broken weapon before she turns her back to him and disappears once again.

Leaving the human trembling in pure shock as he looks around wildly, the stench of his fear sits heavy in the air as he looks to the corpse of the pig.

A bird begins to sing in the distance.

* * *

Toriel is supposed to come by for dinner before picking up Frisk and taking them back home, they have school tomorrow…..the child stares at the cold treat in their hand as it slowly melts, untouched.

Sans sits as still and silent as a statue beside them, his boney hands tucked away in the pockets of his hoody as they sit on the back porch, looking out to the woods beyond the yard.

They gave up the hunt for Storm…and Frisk feels a sickly dread in the pit of their stomach as they stare at the ice cream, not releasing it even as a bit drips onto their fingers, chilling their skin.

"…kid-"

" _Frisk…."_

The ice cream falls as Frisk stands and leaps off the porch, eyes wide and filled with tears as a shape materializes from the shadows, eyes hollow and fur stained black the child slows in alarm, staring at the wolf as Sans grabs their shoulder and attempts to turn them away.

Storm stares at them silently for a second, tail tucked between her legs and ears lowered slightly as she takes a shaking, weak step forward, mouth falling open as she speaks again, " _I'm…..sorry,"_ her body buckles and she falls to the earth, unmoving.

"ANA!"


	7. Human?

She wakes still in pain.

It feels like someone has taken her and just smeared her across the pavement with their car, her mouth is dry as well and she feels her empty stomach clench and roll.

She wishes she could just sleep some more.

Lifting her head slowly she squints against the glare of a light bulb overhead as her eyes adjust, gaze sweeping the length of the room as she swallows bile down.

The room is unfamiliar….dragging in a deep breath she relaxes almost immediately as Sans' familiar scent of spices, ketchup and warmth fills her nose, she admits he does sweat too but it's faint and she slowly drags herself into a sitting position, noting that the door has been left open.

Bandages tug at her fur as she moves, the ache of her body feels more tolerable now that she's waken up more, though she still feels like shit.

She moves her tongue around in her maw, surprised to find that under the layer of dryness she tastes sauce and noodles; did they manage to feed her while she was blacked out? Or maybe she woke and didn't remember…..she winces slightly, she hopes she hasn't forgotten anything.

With stiffness in her limbs she lightly nudges the door open and steps out into the hall, moving as quietly as she can she wanders over to the stairs and cautiously looks out to the room below from between the spindles of the stairs.

The TV is turned on to a random program it seems and she doesn't see the familiar lump of Sans passed out on the couch below, though some of the living room is obscured from this angle she eyes the steps with a sense of dread.

Each step is agony on her ribs but she's relieved to feel that the pain is pretty minor, meaning that her ribs have mended while she slept and now she only feels the bruising, though it still hurts.

Once she reaches bottom she pauses and listens, frowning when she finds that there is no one home…no wonder she hasn't seen anyone yet.

Moving with a lay gait she wanders into the kitchen and eyes the fridge warily, it's going to be a pain in the ass trying to open this thing without thumbs, but she's starving.

* * *

"thanks again for helping us out Tori, Paps healing is good but he's still learning," Sans leans an arm out of his window, one hand resting lazily on the steering wheel as he looks past the tall elegant goat to where his brother had gone.

"Of course, the poor thing, you're sure your dog will be ok?" Tori frowns in concern, looking back to make sure her child and Papyrus had made it inside ok.

"yeah, some rest and food will help her out, I'll try to get her to drink some of that tea you left too…..and thanks again for letting Paps stay, the sight of Storm earlier kinda…scared him," Sans rubs at the back of his skull, beads of sweat gathering on the sides as he recalls his brother's horror and tears at seeing the extent of their new pet's injuries.

"It's no problem; Frisk will have a blast showing him all their new books and clothes they got for school," Toriel smiles, "If you need anything else Sans doesn't be afraid to call ok? And if your dog is still sick please let me know, I'll try and help as best as I can,"

"of course, I'll cya later Tori," He waves and receives a wave in return as he pulls away from the curb and heads home…ok he heads to Grillby's first for some burgers and fries, and maybe a few bottles of ketchup before making his way back to the house.

Juggling the bag in an arm and locking the car with the keys he heads inside, unlocking the front door before stepping inside and kicking off his house slippers, not wanting to drag in anything from outside cause that just means more work vacuuming it up later.

A hand stays on the knob once he closes the door behind him as he hears rustling noises emanating from the kitchen, a frown eases onto his skull as he slowly creeps towards the kitchen, setting the bag aside on the coffee table as he flips on the light.

He feels his attention slip and he knows that his pupils have vanished from his sockets as a green and blue eye meet his gaze, the fridge door is eased closed and he watches in stunned silent as her lips turn into a hopeful smile.

"H-hey um…." The bandages cover most of her…..but there's still a lot exposed and he's super grateful Papyrus isn't around as he quickly tosses his coat towards her.

She catches it in her hands and slips it on, the garment looks more like a dress on her and she zips it up, stuffing her hands into the pockets as the wolf ears sprouting from her messy locks of hair lower, the tail behind her twitching as she avoids his gaze.

"You're not surprised," She comments after a few beats of silence, her eyes darting back to his face, eyebrows raising as he feels magic pool in his cheeks as his stunned brain catches up with what just happened, replaying the last minute over in detail.

He turns his skull away now, hoping she didn't realize what the blue tint to his cheeks meant as he scratches at his jaw, "Frisk might've filled me in…." he admits.

"Ah…..I guess that's normal…they probably thought I was gonna die," She turns from the fridge, steps uneven he can see her shaking and as she takes a step forward and stumbles he catches her, eye sockets wide as she leans against his arm, her own expression one of shock.

"S-Sorry, Shifting took the tiny bit of energy I had left…." She admits, clutching at the sleeve of his white sweater, he carefully assists her to the living room and she collapses back onto the couch with a tired sigh.

In the light of the lamp on the side table he realizes just how pale she is, "you shouldn't have done that then," he comments, opening the bag he offers her a burger, watching in amusement as her ears perk up, training forward as the tip of her tail wiggles and she takes the offering.

"I was weak in my other form, at least as a human I have less of a chance of being shot by humans," She says, unwrapping the burger with trembling fingers, she manages and digs in without a word, not even bothering with manners.

Sans doesn't say a word as he silently offers her the second burger, he filled up on ketchup anyways.

"so you're a werewolf? A human who can turn into a wolf?" Frisk had googled stories and caught Sans and the others up on what werewolves are, or at least what humans thought they were.

"It's what humans call us, the name kinda stuck though so we use it," She answers, licking her fingers clean as she sighs heavily, eyelids drooping, "Though not all the stories are right…we don't hunt or eat humans…our bites won't turn others into wolves, not unless blood is mixed, and we're not weak to silver," she smiles tiredly at the last part, obvious signs of sleep taking over as she yawns, exposing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"what're you like?" He watches her in fascination, a mixture of concern hidden within as he watches the fragile girl slip further into the embraces of sleep, just hours earlier he believed her to be a dog with the mind of a two year old…and now he's talking to her, holding full conversations with a girl who looks like she's been through hell and back.

Most people would feel deceived, but he can't find it in his Soul to hate the girl, even if he hardly knows her…something about her makes him want to help.


End file.
